UNITED NATIONS
Schools ink climate pledge
Thousands of universities on Wednesday declared a “climate emergency” and committed themselves with the UN to fighting climate change in an effort to mobilize their students. In a letter, representatives of more than 7,000 educational institutions on six continents promised to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 or 2050 at the latest. They also pledged more resources for “action-oriented” climate change research and skills development, and to develop environmental education on campus and through outreach programs. The initiative leaders — which include Strathmore University in Kenya, Tongji University in China, France’s KEDGE Business School, Glasgow University, California State University, Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates and Mexico’s University of Guadalajara — hope to have more than 10,000 academic institutions signed to the plan by the end of the year.
INDONESIA
Sea bridge to boost Batam
The nation’s longest sea bridge is to start construction next year to connect two islands near Singapore and boost growth and trade with the neighboring hub. The 7km bridge connecting Batam and Bintan would cost as much as 4 trillion rupiah (US$284.2 million) and construction is set to take three to four years, the Cabinet secretariat said in a statement yesterday. The government wants to reposition Batam as an alternative shipping and manufacturing hub to Singapore with a potential to draw US$60 billion in new investment.
PHILIPPINES
UN to probe drug war
The UN Human Rights Council yesterday approved a resolution mandating a “comprehensive” international review of the drug war, which watchdogs say has killed more than 20,000 people. The resolution, brought by Iceland, was adopted by a vote of 18 nations in favor and 14 against (including China), with 15 abstentions (including Japan) at the 47-member forum. It requires UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to conduct “a comprehensive written report on the situation of human rights in the Philippines” over the coming year.
TURKEY
EU preps drilling sanctions
The EU is to put on hold high-level talks with Ankara and negotiations on an air transport agreement, as well as freeze funding for next year, over “illegal” drilling for gas and oil off Cyprus, a draft statement said. The decision, which might still be changed, was to be discussed among EU envoys in Brussels yesterday with the aim of adopting it when the bloc’s foreign ministers meet on Monday. “In light of Turkey’s continued and new illegal drilling activities, the [EU] decides to suspend negotiations on the Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement and agrees not to hold further meetings of the high-level dialogues for the time being,” the draft said. The EU would also be ready to introduce more restrictive measures should Ankara continue drilling, it adds.
JAPAN
Asteroid probe lands
The Hayabusa2 probe yesterday made a “perfect” touchdown on a distant asteroid, collecting samples from beneath the surface in a mission that could shed light on the origins of the solar system. “We have never gathered sub-surface material from a celestial body further away than the Moon,” project manager Yuichi Tsuda told a news conference. “We succeeded in a world first.”
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese